In brief: Lawsuit threatened over Spokane Police Guild contract

Center for Justice officials said Wednesday that they likely will sue the city if the Spokane City Council approves a proposed labor contract with the Spokane Police Guild.

“We are exploring our legal options, and we believe the tentative agreement is in violation of the City Charter,” said Julie Schaffer, a staff attorney for Spokane’s Center for Justice.

Schaffer was one of several speakers at a City Hall news conference arranged by the Spokane Police Accountability Reform Coalition.

The City Council is scheduled to consider a contract next month with the guild that does not give the city police ombudsman the right to investigate police conduct independently from the police department’s own investigation. Last year, voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the City Charter meant to give the ombudsman independent investigative authority.

Shooting possibly tied to drug deal

A weekend shooting that sent a Spokane woman to the hospital with serious chest wounds may have been prompted by a deal for drugs, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

A search of the vehicle the 23-year-old was driving turned up more than $1,000 in cash. The car, listed in court documents as missing from a rental agency since Dec. 22, was found parked at the Zip’s restaurant near North Division Street and West Sinto Avenue.

The victim claimed she met the shooter, described as a short, heavy-set black man, at the Wendy’s restaurant south of Zip’s on Division. She told police he shot her during a robbery attempt sometime before 8 p.m. Friday. She then drove to the Zip’s, where another man picked her up and dropped her off at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, according to court documents.

The woman was listed in serious but stable condition, according to court documents.

Police are searching for the shooter, who faces potential charges of first-degree assault.

Landlord, 78, victim of debit card theft

A 78-year-old Spokane Valley landlord’s debit card was stolen by a tenant who withdrew $800 from the man’s account, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a call from the landlord, who said his debit card had been missing since last week and he suspected Major, a tenant who has stayed on his property rent-free for a year, of the theft. The landlord said Major had used his credit card to buy things before, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

A bank check revealed $800 had been withdrawn from the card’s account since the man reported the card missing.

The withdrawal was made at a Spokane Valley grocery store bank branch. When questioned, Major initially denied using the card, then said she’d withdrawn the money to pay for dog food. She was released without bail during a court hearing Wednesday.